Extensible display device.



'PVATE'NTBD; NOV. 1 7, 1903. M. M. FLETCHER & E. R. BRADLEY.

EXTENSIBLE DISPLAY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 001217. 1902..

N0 MODEL.

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are. 744,702.

V UNITED STATES Patented November 17, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

MORRIS M. FLETCHER AND EDWARD R. BRADLEY, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO ADOLPH PEDERSON, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

EXTENSIBLE DISPLAY DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 744,702, dated November 17, 1903.

Application filed October 17, 1902.

To aZZ whom ii may concern;

Be it known that we, MORRIS M. FLETCHER and EDWARD R. BRADLEY, citizens of the United States, and residents of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain Improvements in Extensible Display Devices, of which the following is-a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in devices for supporting clothing or other articles of merchandise, and has for its object to provide a device of-this general character of a simple, strong, and inexpensive nature and of a light and durable construction which shall be adapted for usein supporting the garments or other articles of merchandise in an orderly and compact arrangement such that any one of the garments or other articles may be removed and replaced from the supporting device without in any way disturbing or disarranging the other garments or articles held thereon, the structure of the device being such that when the garments or other articles supported thereon are not required for use or to be exposed for sale the device may be compactly folded up so as to occupy the least possible space.

The invention consists in certain novel fea tures of the construction, combination, and arrangement of the several parts of the improved supporting device whereby certain important advantages are attained and the device is made simpler, cheaper, and otherwise better adapted and more convenient for use than various other similar devices heretofore employed, all as will be hereinafter fully, set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which serve to illustrate our improvements, Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the improved supporting device constructed according to our invention, portions of the device being broken out for lack of space. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken axially through the supporting device and showing the device in compacted or folded form, the central portions of the device being also in this view broken outfor lack of space and the device being drawn upon an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken through the device in the plane in- Serial No. 127,672. (No model.)

dicated by line b b in Fig. 2 Fig. 4 is a sectional View somewhat similar to Fig. 3, but

- taken through the device in the plane indicated by the line a a in Fig. 2.

end elevation of the device.

As shown in the views, the improved supporting device comprises a plurality of parts or members which are arranged for sliding or telescopic movement one upon the other, so as to permit of being slid in one direction to shorten the length of the device when it is desired to fold up or compact the same and which are also capable of being slid in an opposite direction, so that when it is desired to afford ready access to the articles supported for displaying them for saleor for other purposes the length of the device may be increased.

As shown in the drawings, the device is constructed with three of these telescoping members, one of which, as indicated at l on the drawings, is in the form of a solid metal bar or rod of circular cross-section and has one'end held in a socket 2, formed on awallplate 3, adapted for attachment to a wall or other support (indicated at as on the drawings) The outer free end of'the supporting member 1 is formed with transverse intersecting slots 4 produced in it and: open at the said outer end of-the member, the slots being cut at right angles to each other, and in said slots 4 4 are held to turn rollers 5 5, four in number as the device is shown herein, the said rollers being mounted with their peripheries extended from the surface of the bar or rod 1 in position to engage thesecond member of the device, which second member is made in the'form of a tube or sleeve 6 of an interior diameter suflicientlylarger than the diameter of the bar or rod 1 to provide clearance between the parts 1 and 6. 6 is of a length slightly greater than the bar or rod 1, and the rollers 5 5 on the outer end of said bar or rod are engaged with the walls of the bore of said sleeve or tube in such a way as to facilitate sliding movement of the sleeve over said rod.

The inner end of the sleeve or tubular member 6 is provided with a reinforce 7 of suit- Fig. 5 is an- The sleeve or tube able form held thereon in any desired way and adapted when the parts are slid upon each other to folded position; to come in engagement with the socket 2, in which the end of the bar or rod 1 is held, and on said reinforce '7 are provided spaced ears 8 8, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4:, rollers 9 9 being held to turn between said ears with portions of their peripheries extended through openings in the reinforce and into the bore thereof in position to engage upon the rounded surface of the bar or rod 1 in such a way as to support the inner end of said member 6 for free sliding movement upon said bar or rod 1.

The outer end of the sleeve or tubular member 6 is provided with a reinforce 10 similar to the reinforce 7 above described, and said reinforce 10 is also provided with spaced arms or lugs 11, between which are held to turn rollers 12 12, the peripheries of which are extended out from the periphery of said member 6 and in position to engage upon the inner wall of the outer or third member of the device, which third member is also made in sleeve-like or tubular form, as indicated at 13, and has an interior diameter sufficient to adapt it to freely slide upon the member 6 and over the projecting rollers 12 at the outer end thereof. The inner end of the outer member 13 is also provided with a reinforce 16 similar to the reinforces 7 and 10, above described, and said reinforce 16 has spaced lugs or arms 17 17, between which are held to turn rollers 18 18, the peripheries of which are extended through openings'in the reinforce into the bore of said member 13 and into engagement with the walls of the second member 6, so as to adapt said outer member 13 for free sliding movement over and upon the said intermediate member 6 of the device. The outer free end of the third or outermember 13 of the device is also provided with a reinforce 14: held on it, and said reinforce 14; is, as herein shown, provided with a head or enlargement 15, which may be given a very ornamental form and may be employed as a handle for use in extending or folding up the device. By this construction it will be seen that the three members 13, 6, and 1 of the device are capable of being very compactly folded up, for which purpose it is only necessar r to press upon the head 15 of the outer reinforce upon the member 13, the inner reinforce 7 upon the intermediate member 6 being of a diameter such that it will not enter within the bore of the outer member 13 when the latter is pressed, as above described, by which means it will be seen that said intermediate member 6 is caused, upon contact of its reinforce 7 with the reinforce 16 at the inner end of the outer member, to partake of the sliding movement of said member 13 and to slide upon the member 1 into folded or compacted position, as shown in Fig. 2. \Vhen the parts are in this folded position, the length of the device is comparatively short, so that it may be readily housed within a wardrobe or cabinet at the side of the wall, and such wardrobe or cabinet may be constructed with doors or curtains for closing the opening through which the device is protruded when extended, so that when the device'is folded the clothing or other articles upon it may be protected from dust and also hid from view.

Since the device when extended is of considerable length, so that the leverage exerted by the clothes or other articles supported upon it is very considerable, we provide a bracing means for strengthening the device when extended, and said bracing means comprises a brace or guide bar 20, extended over the outer member 13 and above the same and having bent extremities 19 and 22, which are extended toward the said member 13 and are held between spaced lugs 21 and 17 upon the respective outer and inner reinforces let and 16 upon the sleeve or member 13. This brace or guide bar 20 is adapted for engagement with a roller 23, held on the lower end of a bracket 24, held on a suitable support, as shown at 25 in the drawings, which support may be a portion of the front of the wardrobe or cabinet in connection with which the device is used. The proportion and arrangement of the parts are such that the full movement of the member 13 in the extending of the device and also in the folding thereof will be accommodated by the rolling engagement of wheel 23 with the brace 20, so that the device will be supported from bracket 24 whether extended or folded up. To limit the outward movement of the members 6 and 13 in the extending of the support, we provide chains orother flexible connections 26, extended between the en( s of the members 1, 6, and 16 and connected with eyes 27 on socket 2 and reinforces '7 and 16. Then the device is extended, these chains are drawn taut and form stops to prevent further movement of the parts. e

In using the improved device the clothing or other articles of merchandise will be held on suitable hangers which will be held on the outer member 13 of the device, and since the length of said member is considerable it will be evident that a considerable number of articles maybe thus supported closely adjacent one to another. hen the articles supported are not required, the device may be pushed back inthe cabinet or wardrobe, if such be used, so that the clothing will be compactly arranged against the wall; but when access is desired to the clothing or other articles member 13 is drawn out to protrude it from the cabinet and away from the wall, so that the supported articles will be displayed and convenient access may be had for the removal thereof from or replacing them on the member 13.

From the above description it will be seen that the improved supporting device constructed according to our invention is of an extremely simple and inexpensive nature and is especially well adapted for use for supporting clothing or other articles of merchandise in a compact and orderly arrangement, while permitting of conveniently. and quickly extending the supported articles for purposes of display or otherwise, and it will also be obvious from the above description that the device is capable of some modification withl out material departure from the principles and spirit of the invention, and for this reason prising a plurality of members, one of which has at one end means for attachment to a wall or other support and another of which is made tubular and is adapted for telescopic sliding movement over and outside of the first-named member and is provided with a guide extended longitudinally along it and a bracket adapted for attachment to a suitable support above said tubular member and provided with a roller having rolling engagement beneath said guide for supporting the free end of the de vice, substantially as set forth.

2. An extensible supporting device comprising a plurality of members, one of which has at one end means for attachment to a wall or other support and another of which is made tubular and is adapted for telescopic sliding movement over and outside of the first-named member, a guide-bar extended longitudinally along the upper side of the tubular member and having downwardly-bent ends connected with opposite ends of said tubular member and a bracket adapted for attachment to a support above said tubular member and having a roller arranged for rolling engagement beneath said guidebar to support the outer end of the device, substantially as set forth.

3. An extensible supporting device comprising a bar or rod having at one end means for attachment to a wall or other support and at its other end provided with rollers the peripheries of which are extended from the sides of said bar or rod, an intermediate tubular member adapted for telescopic sliding engagement on said bar or rod and provided at its inner end with rollers the peripheries of which are extended in the bore of the tubular member for rolling engagement on the sides of said bar or rod, an outer tubular member adapted for telescopic sliding engagement on said intermediate member and having at its inner end rollers the peripheries of which are inwardly extended for rolling engagement on" the walls of the intermediate member, said intermediate member having its outer end provided with rollers the peripheries of which are outwardly extended for rolling engagement with the interior walls of the tubular outer member, means for limiting the sliding movement of the members one on the other, a guide-bar extended longitudinally of the outer member and having ends connected with the ends thereof and a bracket adapted for connection with a support above said outer member and provided with a roller having rolling engagement beneath said guidebar, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names at Chicago,-Oook county, Illinois, this 10th day of October, 1902, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MORRIS M. FLETCHER.

EDWARD R. BRADLEY. lVitnesses:

J. D. CAPLINGER, GEORGE E. TURNER. 

